


Shutdown

by Booker_DeShit



Series: The autistic DeWitt's series [10]
Category: BioShock Infinite
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Autism, Autistic Booker DeWitt, Autistic Elizabeth (BioShock), Character Study, Drabble, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, In a way, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sensory Overload, Wordcount: 100-500, autistic shutdown, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22184824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Booker_DeShit/pseuds/Booker_DeShit
Summary: A person over on Tumblr asked me for an example of how an autistic shutdown might be shown through writing. And since I headcanon the DeWitts as autistic, I decided to use Booker, who seemed like the more likely one to have shutdowns instead of meltdowns. I know it's really short, but it was meant to be only a snippet to explore the feelings & experience of a shutdown, rather than a whole story.
Series: The autistic DeWitt's series [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559641
Kudos: 8





	Shutdown

Booker could feel the shutdown coming. The fireworks were so loud, borrowing into his ears, drilling into his brain. It was getting hard to think, everything being overwhelmed by the noise. A shrill whistle, followed by a painful bang, over & over again. It drowned out all other noises around him. His body itched to move, to stim the agonizing catalyst away. Yet there were people around him, people that wouldn’t understand, so he shut himself in, even if it hurt. It hurt to think, to feel anything, to stand still & pretend he was ok. It was an unbearable feeling that he had no way of getting rid of.

“Booker?” Elizabeth’s voice broke out through the painful haze of his brain. She understood, she could help him.

“It’s loud.” He mumbled lowly, his own voice too loud for his own ears. She didn’t touch him as she led him away from the crowd & the fireworks. 

**Author's Note:**

> The ending cuts off really abruptly because the shutdown is no longer the focus of the story at that point. I prolly won't develop this into a full length fic, but there will be a few fics that would include meltdowns or shutdowns as narrative points. Cause I sure do love me some angst.


End file.
